This week’s assignment will encompass the following concepts, which will be previewed during the Class 1 lecture orientation:
Short history of Cartography
Situate GIS within history of Cartography
Core spatial concepts in GIS
Core GIS terminology
QGIS as robust GIS software
General Course Orientation
GIS Orientation
Source: QGIS Project
Typically, each class will feature reading(s) from the course textbook Essentials of Geographic Information Systems. This first week will be an exception: the introductory chapter of the recommended (not required) Terra Incognita: 100 Maps to Survive the Next 100 Years is assigned.
Access this first chapter online via THIS LINK
The obvious first step of using a GIS software is to either install it or access an online platform. While there are many online GIS utilities, database frameworks and platforms online, generally robust GIS analysis requires a full package located on a hard drive. In this way, geospatial data operations - many that are significantly memory intensive - can run efficiently. For our purposes, the following instructions are given for both the Mac and Windows operating systems. Both assume a relatively modern, i.e. recent operating system and sufficient disk space.
Step 1: Navigate to QGIS landing page:
QGIS Landing Page - Note: this image shows a previous LTR, but in general the landing page will be similar regardless of the particular LTR version on any given date.
QGIS Download Location
Note: there are two release versions- the Long Term Release (LTR) and the most recent current version. For this course, either version will work well. The upside of the current version is that you have the very latest features; however there may be bugs that appear along the way. The advantage of the LTR version is that its the most stable major release. Weekly instruction and tutorials will be demonstrated using the LTR version of the 3.x platform of QGIS. This release is installed on the lab computers where we will meet each week. This install is named QGIS 3.16.16 ‘Hannover’.
The current LTR as of 07/15/2022 is as follows:
QGIS 3.22 Białowieża
QGIS for correct OS
Note: there are two options - Official All-in-one, signed installers vs the Alternative Build. Until the latest 3x releases, the Alternative Build was the Official buid. The Alternative Build requires additional packages to be installed alongside QGIS; the now Official 3x installer streamlines this process. In short, use the first Official All-in-one, signed installers if at all possible.
Determine OS version
.dmg:QGIS Disk Image
Double-click the .dmg file, accept license declaration and proceed to expansion:
Slide the QGIS3.X icon to the right atop the Applications folder alias. Once done, QGIS will begin to install on the machine. Expect the application to take slightly less than 2GB hard drive space in the Applications folder:
QGIS Disk Image > Applications Folder
Applications Install
open for correct install
Step 1: Navigate to QGIS landing page:
QGIS Landing Page
QGIS Download Location
Note: there are two release versions- the Long Term Release (LTR) and the current version. For this course, either version will work well. The upside of the current version is that you have the very latest features; however there may be bugs that appear along the way. The advantage of the LTR version is that its the most stable major release. Weekly instruction and tutorials will be demonstrated using the LTR version of the 3.x platform of QGIS (his install is named QGIS 3.16.16 ‘Hannover’).
Next, download the correct option for your machine:
At download options, navigate to the Standalone options section for your Windows machine - 32 bit vs 64 bit. To determine the bit version of your machine, you can check it via the system profile:
Windows key (shown in image below) + x > System > Device specifications > System type:
Determine OS version
Standalone Installers
QGIS Applications Download
Download Application
Once fully installed, a new QGIS folder will be located inside the Programs folder on your machine. To access QGIS for the first time, use Search and then open the application as shown. Once open, you can pin it to your taskbar and/or make an application shortcut for future access in addition to launching application:
QGIS Installed
.zip compressed directories. Often build-in compression tools will work simply with a right-click > open action. However, there’s situations where this will not be sufficient. The following utilities - 7 Zip for Windows and Keka for Mac - will suffice:7 Zip version for OS
.exe and expand onto the Windows machine. Once installed, 7 Zip will be available with a right-click > open action.Mac OS utility tool
Application > Applications Folder
open for correct install
In order to access and display spatial data within QGIS, the data must first be uncompressed and connected. In this section, we will review the basics of the QGIS data interface. Further, deliverables for the course will often take the form of cartographic PDF exports, i.e. maps. Once data is loaded, it can be symbolized, mapped and exported across a variety of export types, including PDF. This Part III will cover the location of the various capacities needed to accomplish a fundamental workflow: loading spatial data, symbolizing the data and producing cartographic outputs.
To start, review the core QGIS 3.x interface. To assist, print out the letter sized PDF of the interface handout:
QGIS Main Interface
Review the following components that correspond with the numbered interface locations show above:
Note: within the Menu Bar, Plugins is located. This is a critical component of the topline Menu Bar. Here there are two sub-components - the plugins themselves and the Python Console. Throughout the course we will utilize plugins to accomplish certain tasks. Further, many functions within QGIS rely on python in the background which is installed alongside QGIS on the first install.
If you want to learn more about how to script and run python functions for spatial analysis within QGIS, a recommended primer to get started is located as follows:
Managing QGIS Plugins
QGIS Panels
Next, download the compressed assignment data:
Use an compression utility (7 Zip or Keka) to unzip the data and expand the directory. The machine desktop is a good location to place your working directory. Once unzipped, your data structure prior to QGIS should look like the following:
Class 1 Data Uncompressed
The top level directory c1.natural.earth.data contains the following data:
ne_110m_admin_0_countries
Natural Earth Admin Dataset
ne_110m_populated_places_simpleNatural Earth Populated Places Simple Version
Open Data Source Layer tool from the Toolbar:QGIS Source Layer Tool
file.name.shp:QGIS Source Layer Tool > Vector Features
Note: its the
.shpcomponent of the ‘sidecar’ files listed in the sub-directory that is the critical file to open. Make sure to follow open with add so that the.shpis indeed added to the Map Canvas.
ne_110m_populated_places_simple.shp file located in the sub-directory ne_110_populated_places_simple. The resulting Map Canvas should look like the following:QGIS Map Canvas
Note: Color symbology per layer is random upon the initial data load in QGIS. We will make simple changes for this assignment. Keep in mind that upcoming assignments will feature much more robust symbol manipulation; for now simple manipulation is warranted.
.shp data is loaded correctly - Populated Places on top of County Administrative Boundaries - immediately save the project via Project > Save As > assignment1.qgs.Note: There is a compressed project save convention (
.qgz) and another that is not compressed (.qgs). Proceed with the uncompressed option.
In the previous Part III, spatial data was loaded into QGIS and then saved as a .qgs file. Note that the .qgs file itself is very small. This file is simply referencing the data sources - all files now in the main directory for the assignment:
c1.natural.earth.data.Good data hierarchy is important. A simple rule-of-thumb is to keep the data in a sub-directory with .qgs files saved alongside various sub-directories in the main project directory. This keeps everything tiddy and importantly QGIS now knows where everything is located inside the main project directory.
Typically there is some cartographic output for a project, i.e. the actual map(s). This is the final step to accomplish for Assignment 1. Here we will design a 8“x11” map of country boundaries with populated places. We will alter color and possibly the points symbol; add a simple legend; add a title and author tag. We will also alter the ‘Map Projection’ to gain a better areal representation of the country polygon boundaries (much more on this issue in coming weeks).
Step 1: Toogle on the New Print Layout tool (4th icon from left) located on the Toolbar:
QGIS Print Layout Toolbar
Layout Titling
Layout Page Properties
Page Orientation Options
Saving QGIS Projects
Adding the QGIS current map instance to Layout
Next, draw out a rectangle just slightly smaller than the Layout Canvas space itself via the Add Map to Layout tool. This will immediately drop the features from the Map Canvas space into the new Layout Canvas.
Typically this will ‘snap’ the features to a suitable scale. But if you need to make the features ‘smaller’ or ‘larger’ within the layout space, you can do that at the far right Main Properties > Scale (larger number = ‘smaller’ vs smaller number = ‘larger’):
Map Properties > Scale
Note: Scale concepts will be covered in more detail during Class 2.
QGIS CRS in Map Layout
Robinson Map Projection
Moving Map Features in Map Layout
Note: If you want to learn a bit more about the Robinson Projection, the wiki for the projection is a succinct read with a good historical overview - located HERE
Map Symbology in QGIS
Refresh View
Legend Items
Legend Items > Renaming
Map Titling
QGIS Map Canvas Items Panel
The final deliverable for Assignment 1 will feature the following items:
Main Map Frame with Populated Places and Countries symbolized
A text item for a map title, and another text item for data source and author tag.
A Map Legend
Map Items in the Panel
.qgs, save the Layout and export the cartographic output as PDF from the Layout Canvas:QGIS Export Options
assignment.1.pdf to the CANVAS location for the first class assignment. Save the project directory with all project materials in a location you’ve set aside for completed QGIS projects for the course.Class 1 Assignment Map Anatomy Example
Note: in the first two maps linked below, the chosen map scale results in a ‘run-on’ of populated places along the map page edges both left and right. Try to avoid this by centering and setting your chosen map scale to feature all land mass and populated places within the main map frame, centered on the map page:
QGIS Documentation: includes the User Guide, Training Manual, and Gentle Introduction to GIS
Open Source Geospatial Foundation: includes news and information about projects, conferences, and community
Natural Earth Data: Original data source utilized for this Assignment 1